1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece having a demonstration display function.
2. Background Information
An electronic timepiece having a demonstration (hereinafter referred to as demo) display function for displaying a picture and the like has been used so far in order to exhibit it in a shop window and the like for attracting consumer's attention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a conventional electronic timepiece, having the demo display function, which has been used.
In FIG. 7, the electronic timepiece is provided with a switch input portion 701 which is operable to users, a mode storing portion 702 for storing a display mode such as a demo display mode and soon, a display control portion 703, a display driver circuit 704, a display portion 705 having a graphic display function, an oscillator 706 generating a reference clock signal, a dividing circuit 707 for dividing the reference clock signal to generate a time reference signal for measuring time, and a time counter 708 for counting the time reference signal.
Operating the switch input portion 701 causes a time display mode which performs a time display, the demo display mode which performs a demo display and the like to be set, and switching the display mode causes the display of the display mode set by the switch input portion 701 to be performed on the display portion 705.
The above operation is explained in detail as follows. The dividing circuit 707 divides the reference clock signal generated by the oscillator 706 to output the time reference signal. The time counter 708 counts the time reference signal to output a time signal representing time.
When the time display mode is set by the switch input portion 701, the mode storing portion 702 stores information representing the time display mode to output a display mode signal representing the time display mode to the display control portion 703. The display control portion 703 responds to the display mode signal representing the time display mode to output a time signal outputted from the time counter 708 to the display driver circuit 704. The display driver circuit 704 converts the time signal into a form suitable for displaying and outputs it to the display portion 705. This causes current time to be displayed on the display portion 705.
On the other hand, when the demo display mode is set by the switch input portion 701, the mode storing portion 702 stores information representing the demo display mode to output a display mode signal representing the demo display mode to the display control portion 703. The display control portion 703 responds to the display mode signal representing the demo display mode to output data for the demo display stored beforehand in a memory (not shown) of the display control portion 703 to the display driver circuit 704. The display driver circuit 704 converts the data for the demo display into a form suitable for displaying and outputs it to the display portion 705. This causes the demo display to be performed on the display portion 705. In the demo display, for example, displays such as an automatically sequential display of functions of the electronic timepiece, an animation display of a company logo and so on are performed in order to attract consumer's attention.
As mentioned above, operating the switch input portion 701 permits the time display mode and the demo display mode to be switched to display.
However, there is a problem that, because the conventional electronic timepiece has priority to attract consumer's attention, emphasis is placed primarily on the demo display while the time display as an originally essential function of the timepiece is disregarded.
For example, there is a problem that, in case that both a demo display region and a time display region in the display portion 705 are in the same region, because a narrow display region is used for indication, it is difficult to distinguish whether the display portion 705 indicates the demo display or the time display.
Furthermore, since the conventional timepiece is arranged to give priority not to confirm the normal time display but to confirm the demo display, for example, even in case that the conventional timepiece has a feature of a displaying aspect of changing the time on the minute, there exists a problem that the feature of the displaying aspect can not be appealed to consumers.
A problem to be solved by the invention is that the time can be confirmed even in the demonstration display mode.
Another problem to be solved by the invention is that, even in case that the electronic timepiece has the feature of displaying aspect of changing the time on the minute, the feature of the displaying aspect can be appealed to consumers.